Fostering future talent

In 2020, Nike, Converse, Jordan Brand and Michael Jordan committed a combined $140 million over 10 years to invest in and support organisations focused on economic empowerment, education and social justice to address racial inequality for Black Americans. The Black Community Commitment develops strategic national partnerships and supports local community organisations.

In 2021, Converse launched a six-month course with six design apprentices from diverse backgrounds. The All Star Design course focuses on advanced learning-and-development education, networking and hands-on experience in global design and product creation. It is supported by a team of 20 Converse designers, managers and peers.

We are hiring top, diverse talent, and we have seen positive progress hiring from the Black and Latinx communities at the early-in-career level. To further facilitate this progress, we have increased engagement with and participation from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs). We have established pathways for access and visibility, specifically building mentorship, experiences and career pathways, and contribute to scholarships. A recruiting team focuses exclusively on engaging candidates from HBCUs and HSIs, and an internal council of Nike employees who have attended or have a meaningful connection to HBCUs and HSIs provide guidance about how to best support and engage HBCU/HSI students and communities. In 2021, we expanded our engagements from eight in 2020 to 20, and 20% of Nike's direct-from-university hires were from HBCUs and HSIs.

N7 focuses on empowering Native American and Indigenous communities in North America. We believe it is critical to learn from Indigenous voices to strengthen pathways for Native American employment and representation. In 2020, the Footprint Summit was created to bring together external advocates, community members, N7 athletes, Nike executives and thought leaders to dialogue and strategise about how improve our practices. In 2021, there was a 44% increase in attendees, particularly university and industry candidates and advocates from Native American and Indigenous communities.

The Serena Williams Design Crew (SWDC), a six-month apprenticeship programme, launched in 2021 with the aim of diversifying talent within the design industry. Ten New York designers collaborated with Nike teams and Serena Williams to create the Serena Williams Collection. Seven designers from the first cohort accepted full-time roles with the company.

Women in Nike (WIN) creates opportunities and pathways for retiring or retired WNBA athletes. The 24-month journey is designed to provide relevant and dynamic work experience. The first cohort launched in 2019. After successfully completing the programme in 2021, each of the 11 fellows continue to grow their career at Nike. The third cohort of 16 began their journey at the end of 2021.